Reviewed by:
AsShadowsRemain, on july 07, 2008
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: C$ 1039.99
Purchased from: Ted Good Music
Features: It's a 2008 Jackson RR5FR. It was made in Jackson's Japan factory which creates many very fine instruments. It has 22 XJ frets, 25.5 in. scale with a rosewood fingerboard. Mine was a solid top. The body is made of alder and the necks is made of rock maple with a scarf joint. The finish on mine was ivory with black pinstripes. The body style is a Jackson Randy Rhoads, which is a very unique body style. It has similar features to that of a Flying V, but the bottom horn is decreased. The bridge is a FRT-02000, which is the exact same as an OFR, but made in Korea and not Germany. It has 2 active pickups, one in the neck and one in the bridge. The neck pickup is a Seymour Duncan SH2N Jazz and the bridge pickup is a Seymour Duncan TB4 JB. The Jackson site says that the guitar comes with 2 volume and one master tone, but it is the opposite. It comes with a master volume and 2 tone, the same controls as the RR1. This is just a small error on Jackson's part. It uses a 3-way selector. It comes with Standard Jackson tuning heads, non-locking. // 9
Sound: I play a lot of metal, be it speed metal, death metal, progressive metal or whatnot, and this guitar suits my style very well. The JB has enough punch to get some incredible distortion without mudding up the sound, and the Jazz can do cleans very well. I'm currently using is with my Peavey Rage 158 amp as I normally rent or borrow equipment to gig Live. I'm soon to be purchasing a 6505 and a Dunlop 95Q Crybaby to use along with it as well. The guitar is not very noisy as it comes with high-quality pickups. It has a very bright sound to it and has a very harsh almost kind of punch to it, since it's made of alder. The guitar can do a variety of tones, from heavy distortion, to bright or mellow cleans. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was set up very well at the factory but I still gave it a re-setup as I do with every new guitar I purchase. The pickups were adjusted very well and are in the exact position that I prefer them at. The finish is amazing, it is a very unique and stunning finish and is awesome to look at. The bridge was properly routed as well. The guitar doesn't have any flaws that I am aware of this far. Jackson is known for their quality and this guitar is no exception, seeing as it is one of the higher end models. // 9
Reliability & Durability: Yes this guitar will withstand Live playing. I know because I've seen many people perform with RR5's and other Jackson's. The hardware looks solid and looks like it will last for a very long time. The strap buttons are solid as well and are fairly large so they with hold your strap on securely even without straplocks. I can depend on it, I'm almost 100% positive that this guitar will not let me down. Yes I would use it on a gig without a backup but I probably won't as I need 2 different guitars for different tunings. The finish is superb and looks like it will last as long as I do. // 10
Impression: As I said before, I play lots of metal and metal sub-genres and this guitar is an almost perfect match. I've been playing for almost 5 years and I own a variety of other equipment. I own 4 other guitars and 2 pedals. If it were stolen/lost, I would definitely buy it again. The only exception to this would be if I had enough money to afford an RR1, in which that case I would buy an RR1. I love the body style and how it is so light and comfortable to play standing up. It doesn't wear out your shoulder and you have nothing jabbing you in the ribs while you play. There isn't anything that I dislike about this guitar, I've been a Rhoads fan for almost my entire guitar career. I compared this guitar with an RR5, the non-trem version, and I chose this one, mainly because I prefer having a floating tremolo next to a fixed bridge. I also prefer the black hardware as opposed to the gold hardware. The only thing I wish this guitar had is head and neck binding, but this is just a personal preference. Well done Jackson, excellent new addition to the Jackson guitar line up! // 10
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